Baylor College of Medicine seeks to participate in a collaborative effort to investigate the capability of ultrasonography, along with biological markers, to detect prostate cancer, to determine location, volume, extent and invasiveness, to diagnose prostate cancer earlier than convention techniques (digital rectal examination), and to assess the impact of ultrasonography on morbidity, disease progression, and survival in a group of patients at high risk for having clinically important prostate cancer. To carry out these investigations we propose 3 protocols spanning the full spectrum of prostate cancer. I. Clinicopathologic correlations of preoperative ultrasonography with whole-mount, step-sectioned, mapped radical prostatectomy specimens. II. Diagnosis of stage A prostate cancer by transrectal ultrasonography prior to prostatectomy for benign disease (BPH). III. Transrectal ultrasonography in advanced prostate cancer. Using the protocols finally selected by the collaborating I, II, III institutions, we propose to investigate the efficacy of ultrasonography and of biological markers in the early diagnosis and assessment of extent of prostate cancer using techniques to assure accurate analysis of the data. Based on our past experience (5 years) and working closely with a radiologist, biostatistician, and data management group, we will develop uniform and standardized techniques for performance and interpretation of prostate sonography to assure reproducibility. And we will obtain consistent and complete data so that the imaging results can be analyzed for optimal clinical applicability.
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